Menu Close

Articles on Colin Kaepernick

Displaying 1 - 20 of 26 articles

A large billboard featuring Colin Kaepernick stands on top of a Nike store at Union Square in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Online outrage can benefit brands that take stances on social issues

Brands are increasingly taking stances on contentious social issues and facing mass outrage on social media. New research shows that this outrage can benefit brands.
Whitney Houston sings the national anthem on January 27, 1991, at Super Bowl XXV during the Persian Gulf War. Michael Zagaris/Getty Images

A brief history of the NFL, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ the Super Bowl and their tangled saga of patriotism and dissent

For the NFL, playing the national anthem started as a patriotic marketing ploy. It’s now played before every game alongside ‘Lift Every Voice,’ the Black national anthem, and ‘America the Beautiful.’
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady celebrates after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL Super Bowl 55 football game in February, 2021. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

What if Tom Brady took a knee instead of Colin Kaepernick?

Brady taking a knee is counter to both the man and the league. Nonetheless, had he done so, he would have been received much more favourably.
Sacramento Kings players kneel in support of the Black Lives Matter movement before an NBA basketball game, August 6, 2020. GettyImages

Athlete activism or corporate woke washing? Getting it right in the age of Black Lives Matter is a tough game

Brands taking a stand on social issues is no longer remarkable — but that only makes it harder to be authentic.
It has always been folly to believe that sports were separate from power and politics. AP Photo/Terrance Williams

The numbers behind America’s 180 on athlete activism

For decades, athletes, as a general rule, steered clear of politics. Teams and sponsors liked it that way, and fans did, too. No more.
Black Lives Matter: West Indian players (as well as England players and match officials) took the knee before the start of the first cricket Test on July 8. Mike Hewitt/NMC Pool/PA Wire/PA Images

National anthems in sport: songs of praise or memorials that are past their use-by date?

The Black Lives Matter movement reminds us that using national anthems at sporting events is often insensitive and whitewashes the prevalence of racism in sport.
The NFL has been thrust into conversations around criminal justice since Colin Kaepernick and others chose to kneel in protest against police violence, but also in the case of former player Aaron Hernandez. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

How portrayals of the NFL are shaping criminal justice reform

From Super Bowl ads to Netflix documentaries, the complicated issues of criminal justice are portrayed in simplistic and highly political ways.
The NSW Blues’ Cody Walker is one of several players who will remain silent during the Australian national anthem at Wednesday’s State of Origin match. Dean Lewins/AAP

Our national anthem is non-inclusive: Indigenous Australians shouldn’t have to sing it

Several Indigenous rugby league players have vowed not to sing the national anthem during this week’s State of Origin match. Will the protest spark a conversation, or fizzle out?
A Nike ad campaign billboard features NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. EPA/Alba Vigaray

Woke washing: what happens when marketing communications don’t match corporate practice

Research shows that the new trend of activism marketing hinges on whether or not the brand engages in practices that match its message.
What ethical issues should you consider when watching football? Chris Brooks/flickr.com

Is it immoral to watch football?

Football plays an important role in American culture. Experts point out some ethical questions you might consider asking this season.
Colin Kaepernick, centre, and his San Francisco teammates kneel during the national anthem before an NFL football game in 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

What Colin Kaepernick can teach us about citizenship

Much of the discussion about “Take a Knee” has overlooked the issues of justice and social exclusion, and especially environmental matters. That’s something to think about during the Super Bowl.
In this Dec. 18, 2016, file photo, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and two of his teammates kneel during the playing of the national anthem before an NFL game. (AP/John Bazemore)

Protests not welcome in the spectacle of sports

The main reason owners and athletes stay away from mixing politics and sport is that it allows them to sell their product more easily. In doing so, pro sports conforms to classic capitalist ideology.

Top contributors

More